Among the 69 proposals included in its report, the HurricaneSandy Rebuilding Task Force suggested improvements to theelectrical grid and communication systems so they are lesslikely to fail in a storm and urged that the fuel supply chainbe protected.

It recommended that governments and residents be given thebest scientific data available on current and future risks,including a Web-based tool that uses federal agency informationto project how high sea levels will rise, up to 100 years in thefuture.

"More than ever, it is critical that when we build for thefuture, we do so in a way that makes communities more resilientto emerging challenges such as rising sea levels, extreme heatand more frequent and intense storms," the report said.

It was released at a joint press conference by the taskforce chairman, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentShaun Donovan, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

President Barack Obama created the task force in December,months after the October 2012 storm devastated New York, NewJersey and other parts of the East Coast. Sandy killed at least159 people, and damaged or destroyed more than 650,000 homes,leading to private insurance claims of $19 billion.

It knocked out subways, roads and bridges, and more than 9million people lost power. In all, at least $30 billion to $50billion in economic activity was lost.

"And we all remember the gas lines and generators sittingidle due to a lack of fuel, bringing the region and the economyto a standstill," Donovan said.

The task force found that a major focus should be protectingcritical infrastructure.

Every dollar spent on hazard mitigation would save thecountry at least $4 if another disaster struck, Donovan said.

The U.S. Congress in January approved an emergency aidpackage of about $50 billion for areas devastated by the October2012 superstorm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency alonehas provided more than $12 billion in assistance, Donovan said.More assistance will be announced in coming weeks throughfederal Community Development Block Grants, he said.

"We are not just focused on speeding relief to families andcommunities," Donovan said. "We're also focused on protectingcommunities from the risks of a changing climate."

A competition called "Rebuild by Design," in which teams ofarchitects and engineers address the risks, could deliverinnovative ideas for rebuilding in the region, the report said.Other recommendations include: